Combined cabinet and table

ABSTRACT

A combined cabinet and table having two hingedly connected halves each comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, a side wall and a front wall, said cabinet halves opening toward each other when the cabinet is closed. Horizontally disposed shelves are mounted within the cabinet halves for movement toward and away from the side walls thereof when the cabinet is open and said side walls are substantially coplanar. The shelves are removable from the cabinets and the two halves are provided with latches for holding them in the open or closed positions. The two halves are mounted upon wheels and all corners of said cabinet are rounded.

[451 Sept. 16, 1975 United States Patent [191 Richmond 9/1955 312/D1G. 33 9/1962 Hildebrand.....................

1 1 COMBINED CABINET AND TABLE Wright.........................

312/2sox Inventor: James W. Richmond, Kalamazoo,

Mich.

1/1967 Dasovic et al. 312/1 11 X 10/1972 [73] Assignee:

Primary Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe Filed: y i 1974 Assistant Examiner-Carl F. Pietruszka [21] Appl. No.: 473,412

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn y dee 10.nl m bm n wl ma o m .a Hwwe 0 h w m Pmmd ow .mu o w am am h aed exmu mmmmmw m mewm mwm m a cf... e Hn .m mm. w r w cwasm aeel dh VC m .5 1% mam o mm H c m mum 0 aa UAcwcc S4 3 0MH54U /7 06 3B542 .,M23; .71 3 n m% H W 23 n msLm 3 92 %9B2 0 1 2 H 43 21A u n m l m m u .5 m m m m mm m m 9 l. H mfl t d mM U [F m. UN 5 55 l mounted within the cabinet halves for movement toward and away from the side walls thereof when the cabinet is open and said side walls are substantially oo- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS planar. The shelves are removable from the cabinets and the two halves are provided with latches for holding them in the open or closed positions. The two halves are mounted upon wheels and all corners of said cabinet are rounded.

312/201 UX 211/153 X 312/209 UX 312/350 UX nut. m .mr umunekd mm xmmm eakmzwm kwen .mmm mhl EPSMBCB 3634045 8233455 8999999 HHHHHHH 4929235 6990244 953601 66 8706 2 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures sum 1' OF 3 PATENTEU SEF I 6 i975 PATENTEU SE? 1 6 ms SHEET 3 BF 3 COMBINED CABINET AND TABLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application relates in general to a wheeled conveyance capable of storing sterilized instruments and materials and moving them from a sterile supply room to an operating room or other places of use without subjecting them to contamination. The conveyance is adapted to be used as a table for supporting said tools and/or materials stored therein, and thereafter returning the used tools and materials to the rooms where they are disposed of or cleaned and sterilized without contaminating the area through which the conveyance must pass during such return. Persons, such as doctors, nurses and supply technicians, who are familiar with the protection of sterile equipment and the avoidance of contamination of unsterile equipment, have long recognized the need for a single conveyance capable of use in transporting such equipment between a storage zone, such as a central supply, and the location, such as an operating room, where such equipment is used. Heretofore, it has been commonplace to move the sterile materials and instruments in a wheeled, open cart through corridors and zones which, unfortunately, have been contaminated by objects and personnel located therein. In some instances, efforts have been inade to drape a sterile cloth over the instruments and materials in an effort to avoid contamination. However, this procedure has not been satisfactory for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the cloth can be so easily lifted, removed or contaminated.

Existing wheeled carts, as aforesaid, being adapted for a wide variety of services, such as the delivery of medicine, fruitjuices and the like for patients, have not been properly adapted for use in operating rooms and, generally speaking, have been difficult to clean. That is, they have had sharp interior corners, seamed junctions, exposed rivets, angle iron legs and/or externally projecting flanges which are difficult to reach except by manual cleaning procedures. Thus, it has been common practice to remove these carts from the operating room as soon as supplies therein have been delivered. This, of course, has necesssitated an additional and potentially contaminating step of removing the sterile instruments and materials from the cart and placing them on a table or other device in the operating room.

Of course, it follows that the removal of the sterilized instruments and materials from the cart onto a device for holding same prior to an operation would be done by a person often unskilled in their intended use during the operation. Thus, this has created some inconvenience for the operating personnel just before the operation is commenced.

During the return of the tools to the workroom or central supply for cleaning and resterilization. it has heretofore been necessary first to place such instruments and materials onto a cart, usually open, thereby subjecting any patients enroute to possible contamination from the used instruments and materials.-

On the other hand, if the tools, instruments and materials could be properly sorted out and arranged uniformly in all instances in a cabinet that would move directly from the supply center to the location of use by the surgeon and his staff, then this inconvenience would be eliminated because the central supply people are trained in such organization.

Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is the pn vision of a combined cabinet and table whereby sterile instruments and materials can be stored at the point of their sterilization and then moved on wheels to the point of use without exposing said instruments and materials to contamination during such movement, after'which the cabinet can be opened, latched in such open position and used as a table to support the tools and materials during their use.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a cabinet and table, as aforesaid, which has rounded interior and exterior corners to facilitate sanitization, including high temperature (280) washing by automatic equipment, and wherein the shelves in said cabinet are removable, easily sanitized and arranged for sliding horizontal movement within the cabinet, when it is in the opened position.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following disclosure and examining the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combined cabinet and table embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of said combined table and cabinet in its opened position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line IIIIII in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3 and rotated clockwise.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 3 and rotated 90 clockwise.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI and rotated FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII- -VII in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII- Vlll in FIG. 2.

For convenience of description, the terms upper", lower", front", rear, left" and rightwill have reference to the combined cabinet and table when it is in its closed position, the front, right side and top being visible in FIG. 1. The terms inner", outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said cabinet or components thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing a combined cabinet and table mounted upon casters, the cabinet being in the form of a clam shell. This conveyance can be locked in the openor closed positions and is provided with wire-form shelves which are slidably and removably disposed within each of the cabinet halves. The conveyance is designed for ease of cleaning, including sterilization, and for the ready accessibility of instruments and materials stored therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The conveyance 10, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, is comprised of two cabinet halves 11 and 12, and top walls 13 and 14 of which function as a table. The cabinet half 1 1 has a front wall 16, rear wall 17, sidewall 18 and bottom wall 19. The cabinet half 12 has a front wall 22, rear wall 23, sidewall 24 and bottom wall 25. The cabinet halves l I and 12 are preferably fabricated from a noncorrosive, high temperature-resistant material such as stainless steel. The four upper edges and four vertical edges of the closed cabinet are preferably rounded to eliminate zones of interior contamination,-to facilitate interior sanitization and also to avoid injury to personnel working with the conveyance.

The two cabinet halves are each mounted upon casters 27, there being four casters under each of the bottom walls 19 and located near the four corners of each. As shown in FIG. 8. the caster 27 may be substantially conventional and secured to the bottom wall 19. for example, by meansof a channel-shaped bracket 28 which is secured, as by welding. to the bottom wall 19. The caster 27 has a kingpin 29 which extends through an opening 32 in the bracket 28 for engagement by a nut 33. All of the casters are preferably mounted in this way upon their respective cabinet halves.

The cabinet halves are held in their closed positions by latches 34 (FIG. 1) which, in this embodiment, are pivotally mounted at one end of each upon the front wall I6. The other ends of said latches 24 (FIG. 2) have notches 36 which engage pins 37 mounted upon the front wall 22.

The cabinet halves are held in their opened positions of FIG. 2 by means of a latch 38 (FIG. 6) which is pivotally supported near one end upon the sidewall 18 near the upper end thereof and adjacent the rear wall 17. The other end of the latch 38 has a notch 39 engageable with a pin 42 mounted upon the sidewall 24 adjacent the rear wall 23.

Each cabinet is furnished with a plurality of substantially identical. hence interchangeable, shelves 43 which are fabricated from metal rods so that they are noncorr osive and capable of high temperature sterilization. In a preferred embodiment. each shelf 43 has a rectangular. perimeter frame member 44 and at least one cross bar 46 extending lengthwise of the frame member and rigidly secured at its opposite ends to the opposite end portions 47 and 48 of the frame member 44. A plurality of shelf elements 49 extend tranverscly of the frame member 44. hence the cross bar 46. and they are rigidly secured at their opposite ends. as by welding. to the side portions 52 and 53 of the frame member 44. Said shelf elements 49, which are uniformly spaced lengthwise of the frame members are also rigidly secured to the cross bar 46. A pair of parallel. horizontal shelf guides 54 and 55 are secured. as by welding. to the inside surfaces. respectively. of the front wall 16 and rear wall 17, for example. to slidably support each shelf 43.

Specifically, the shelf guide 54, for example. has a W- shaped cross section including vertical and horizontal flanges 57 and 58 which project from the opposite lateral edges of an angle member 59 having a horizontal leg 62 and vertical leg 63. The vertical flange 57 (FIG. 7) is rigidly secured. as by welding. to the front wall '16. The end portion 47 of the frame member 44 is slidably supported upon the upper surface of the the horizontal flange 58 so that the upper surface of the shelf 43. defined by the shelf elements 49. is approximately copla nar with the upper surface of the horizontal leg 62 of the angle member 59.

The shelf guide 55 (FIG. 7) is substantially identical with the shelf guide 54 so that the end portion 48 of the frame member 44 is slidably supported upon the surface of the horizontal flange 58a. Thus. the shelf 43 is disposed between the vertical legs 63 and 63a of the shelf guides 54 and 55, respectively.

An L-shaped catch 64 has one leg 66 abutting and rigidly secured to the side portion 53 near to, but spacedslightly from, the end portion 47 (FIGS. 5 and 7) so that the other leg 67 extends, horizontally under the flange 58. .A similar L-shaped catch 64a is secured to the side portion :53 near the end portion 48 so that the horizontal leg 67a thereof projects under the horizontal flange 58a as shown in FIG. 7.

The shelf guides 54 and Y (FIGS. 3 and 4) are spaced slightly from the sidewall 18 to provide a space through which the horizontal legs 67 and 67a on the shelf 43 can move upwardly above the horizontal flanges 58 and 58a, respectively, after which the shelf 43 can be moved forwardly out of the cabinet.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, a small pain 68 is rigidly secured to and extends downwardly from the horizontal flange 58 approximately midway between the ends thereof for engagement by the horizontal leg 67 of the catch 64 in order to positively limit the distance that the shelf 43 can slide forwardly of the cabinet while still being supported upon the shelf guide 54 and held 'thereagainst by the catch 64. A pin 68a (FIG. is provided on the horizontal flange 58a for engagement by the horizontal leg 67a on the shelf 43.

A peg 69, secured to the inner edge of the cabinet half 11 at the intersection of top wall 13 and front wall 16, projects'parallel with both of these walls for receiption into a correspondingly located opening 72 in the frame of the cabinet half 12 (FIG. 2

- OPERATION Althoughth e operation of the above-described conveyance will be apparent to personsskilled in the art after reading such description. a brief summary of the operation is given as follows.

In preparing the conveyance 10- for use. it can be sterilized by conventional, methods or by moving it through a small automatic washing apparatus installed for that purpose. Normally. the conveyance will be cleaned and sterilized in itsopen position of FIG. 2 followed by cleaning and sterilization of the outer surfaces when the conveyance 'is in its FIG. 1 position. The shelves 43 may be removed from the cabinet halves 11 and 12 before such cleaning and sterilization is effected in order to avoid any areas where contaminated materials can be-lodged. The shelves are removed by merely urging them firmly against the sidewalls of'the two cabinet halves. then rising'the edges 53 tofree the L-shaped catches 64 and-64A after which the shelves are then moved forwardly out of the cabinet.

After the cabinets have been cleaned and sterilized. the shelves are returned to the cabinet halves by merely resting the end'edges 47 and 48 on the shelf guides 54 and 55. and urging them towards the sidewall until the L-shaped catches drop down past the ends of the shelf guides. The cabinets can now be loaded with instruments and materials used to perform a particular operation after which the cabinet halves 11 and 12 are brought together into their FIG. I positions and firmly held together by the latches 34 engaging the pins 37. The peg 69 and cooperating opening 72 maintain proper alignment of the meeting edges of the two cabinet halves when they are in the closed position.

The conveyance 10 can now be moved on its casters from a sterile storage or supply room directly to the operating room without fear of contaminating the contents during the movement. Just before the operation is to be performed, the latches 34 are released, the two cabinet halves are moved into their FIG. 2 positions and firmly held in such positions by the latch 38 and pin 42, as shown in FlG. 6. The instruments and materials can now be removed from the shelves 43 by the physician and/or his nurse and placed on the top walls 13 and 14 of the cabinet halves, either in advance of the operation or as the need arises during the operation. In any event, skilled professionals, usually a doctor or a nurse, who have been carefully prepared to avoid any possibility of contaminating things which they handle, will be removing the instruments and materials from the cabinet. Thus, the risk of contaminating the instrumerits and materials, as by unnecessary handling, is eliminated after the conveyance has been cleaned, sterilized and loaded with sterile instruments and materials, and then closed by skilled technicians. After the operation has been completed, the used materials and instruments can be returned to the shelves in the cabinet halves after which the cabinet halves are then returned to their closed positions of FIG. 1. The entire-conveyance, with its contents, can be moved back to the cleaning and sterilization zones without risking contamination of other patients along the route to the cleaning areas.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations and modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as fol' lows:

l. A table and cabinet assembly, comprising;

similar cabinet halves having coplaner top and bottom walls, each cabinet half having a rear wall, a front wall and a side wall, the other side of each cabinet half being open, and said cabinet halves being of a height whereby the coplaner top walls can be used as a table top;

hinge means defining a vertical axis and connecting the adjacent free edges of said rear walls together whereby said cabinet halves can be swingably moved between a closed position wherein said rear walls are coplaner and an open position wherein said rear walls overlie one another and are adjacent and parallel, the corners and outside edges of each cabinet half being rounded internally and externally;

ground engaging wheel means mounted on the bottom walls of said cabinet halves and supporting same for movement thereof;

a plurality of shelf means independently slidably and removably supported within said cabinet halves, said plurality of shelf means being parallel, hori zontal and independently movable towards and away from the side wall of the respective cabinet half when the cabinet halves are in said open position;

first latch means having cooperating portions mounted upon said front walls adjacent said free edges thereof for releasably holding said cabinet halves in said closed position;

second latch means having portions thereof mounted upon said side walls of said cabinet halves adjacent the rear walls thereof for holding said cabinet halves in said open position;

said shelf means comprising a pair of horizontal and parallel elongated guide members fixedly mounted in opposing positions on the interior surfaces of the rear and front walls of the respective cabinet half, said shelf means further comprising a rod-form shelf extending between and slidably supported on the opposed pair of horizontal guide members, said shelf being slidably supported on said guide members for substantially horizontal displacement be tween a first position wherein the shelf is disposed entirely within the interior of the respective cabinet half and a second position wherein the shelf projects outwardly through the open side of the respective cabinet half;

each said elongated guide member including spaced upper and lower horizontal flanges which extend longitudinally of the guide member and are interconnected by a vertical flange, the upper horizontal flange being fixed to the adjacent cabinet wall and extending between the adjacent wall and the upper edge of the vertical flange. the vertical flange being spaced outwardly away from the surface of the adjacent wall, and the lower horizontal flange being fixed to the vertical flange adjacent the lower edge thereof and projecting horizontally inwardly into the interior of said cabinet half so that said upper and lower horizontal flanges are disposed on opposite sides of said vertical flange. and the rod form shelf having opposed edge portions which are slidably seated on the lower horizontal flanges so that the shelf is slidably confined between the opposed vertical flanges as formed on the opposed guide members.

2. A table and cabinet assembly according to claim 1, including locking means eoacting between said shelf and said guide members for permitting said shelf to be removed from the respective cabinet half only when the shelf is in said first position and the rear edge of said shelf is lifted upwardly relative to the guide members, said locking means including projection means fixed to the rear corners of said shelf and positioned below the lower horizontal flanges on said guide members when said shelf is slidably displaced from said first position, the rearward ends of said lower horizontal flanges being spaced from the interior surface of the side wall of the respective cabinet half so that said projection means can pass upwardly above the lower horizontal flange due to upward lifting of the rear edge of the shelf when same is in said first position. 

1. A table and cabinet assembly, comprising: similar cabinet halves having coplaner top and bottom walls, each cabinet half having a rear wall, a front wall and a side wall, the other side of each cabinet half being open, and said cabinet halves being of a height whereby the coplaner top walls can be used as a table top; hinge means defining a vertical axis and connecting the adjacent free edges of said rear walls together whereby said cabinet halves can be swingably moved between a closed position wherein said rear walls are coplaner and an open position wherein said rear walls overlie one another and are adjacent and parallel, the corners and outside edges of each cabinet half being rounded internally and externally; ground engaging wheel means mounted on the bottom walls of said cabinet halves and supporting same for movement thereof; a plurality of shelf means independently slidably and removably supported within said cabinet halves, said plurality of shelf means being parallel, horizontal and independently movable towards and away from the side wall of the respective cabinet half when the cabinet halves are in said open position; first latch means having cooperating portions mounted upon said front walls adjacent said free edges thereof for releasably holding said cabinet halves in said closed position; second latch means having portions thereof mounted upon said side walls of said cabinet halves adjacent the rear walls thereof for holding said cabinet halves in said open position; said shelf means comprising a pair of horizontal and parallel elongated guide members fixedly mounted in opposing positions on the interior surfaces of the rear and front walls of the respective cabinet half, said shelf means further comprising a rod-form shelf extending between and slidably supported on the opposed pair of horizontal guide members, said shelf being slidably supported on said guide members for substantially horizontal displacement between a first position wherein the shelf is disposed entirely within the interior of the respective cabinet half and a second position wherein the shelf projects outwardly through the open side of the respective cabinet half; each said elongated guide member including spaced upper and lower horizontal flanges which extend longitudinally of the guide member and are interconnected by a vertical flange, the upper horizontal flange being fixed to the adjacent cabinet wall and extending between the adjacent wall and the upper edge of the vertical flange, the vertical flange being spaced outwardly away from the surface of the adjacent wall, and the lower horizontal flange being fixed to the vertical flange adjacent the lower edge thereof and projecting horizontally inwardly into the interior of said cabinet half so that said upper and lower horizontal flanges are disposed on opposite sides of said vertical flange, and the rod-form shelf having opposed edge portions which are slidably seated on the lower horizontal flanges so that the shelf is slidably confined between the opposed verticaL flanges as formed on the opposed guide members.
 2. A table and cabinet assembly according to claim 1, including locking means coacting between said shelf and said guide members for permitting said shelf to be removed from the respective cabinet half only when the shelf is in said first position and the rear edge of said shelf is lifted upwardly relative to the guide members, said locking means including projection means fixed to the rear corners of said shelf and positioned below the lower horizontal flanges on said guide members when said shelf is slidably displaced from said first position, the rearward ends of said lower horizontal flanges being spaced from the interior surface of the side wall of the respective cabinet half so that said projection means can pass upwardly above the lower horizontal flange due to upward lifting of the rear edge of the shelf when same is in said first position. 